They are basketball’s elite family – and they hail from Brooklyn. If they added just one more member, well they’d be difficult to beat.
The Rippey family must be the first – and only – family to see a father, daughter and now son to score 1,200 or more points in prep school.
A member of the Class of 1993, father Deron Rippey scored 1,000-plus points at Connecticut’s Cheshire Academy. And with daughter De’Naya — they became the first father-daughter duo to score 1,000 points at the school.
And now Deron Rippey, Jr. — a senior at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey — will hit that magic mark before his college career starts.
He just announced he’ll be playing at Duke next season.
How can we forget mom? Patricia was a member of a Public Schools Athletic League championship squad at James Madison High School from 1988-89.
But for Deron, it’s more than just basketball. “It’s a balance of academics and basketball,” he told the Brooklyn Eagle. “It’s been a goal of mine to be a successful mentor and to give back to the community.”
He has – and he did. As coach at Intermediate School 265, he won a Brooklyn Middle School Championship. “I remember we finished 21-3,” he said.
I.S. 265 converted to Dr. Susan S. McKinney High School, but that didn’t stop Rippey’s success. He won 48 and lost just 11 during his time at the school – and topped it off with an PSAL B Division championships.
As a player, Deron was First-Team All-Conference at Garden City (Kansas) Junior College. And yes, he scored over 1,200 points in two seasons, and maintained a 3.49 GPA. As a senior at Eastern New Mexico in Portales he led the Greyhounds with a 24 points per game average in the Lone Star Conference.
De’Naya, Deron said, started touching the basketball after her dance lessons. “She saw her brother – Ron Ron – gravitate to the game and she was committed. She went all in.”
Did she ever. She was a three-time All-Star at Cheshire, MVP as a senior, and Best All Around Athlete Special School Award. She played volleyball and ran track as well as a basketball performer.
And after 18 games this season, she is the leading scorer at St. Peter’s University – 11.9 points per game, leads in points (214) and rebounds 159. Her Peacocks travel to Mount St. Mary’s, Saturday (Jan. 31).
Ron-Ron – Deron Rippey, Jr.—is a dynamic athlete with a 40-inch vertical, and considered the No. 1 point guard and Top 10 overall player in the nation by various services.
“It’s just a huge blessing,” papa Deron says.
His commitment to play at Duke next season bolstered the Blue Devils’ ranking to No. 1 in their recruiting class.
“I felt like [Duke] fit my playing style,” he told ESPN. “They want to be on the attack on both offense and defense, and that is what I do best. My aggressive play style is different. My dream is to win a national championship. Coach Jon Scheyer recruits high-level talent and teaches those players how to play for each other. That’s the only way to win. Their plan for me is to come in to lead and make an impact on winning. I am all about both.”
Ron Ron says the fan base at Duke is different. “The support for basketball is incredible, the education is of high academic standard, and the alumni are everywhere.”
The 6’2” guard averaged 15.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals, shooting 38.1 percent from three-point range, on the Adidas 3SSB circuit last summer.
The only problem facing the Rippey Family – how to watch their siblings play. “It’s tough,” dad says. “The main thing is that they succeed. Do it the right way. Both on and off the court.”
Just like dad.
Andy Furman is a Fox Sports Radio national talk show host. Previously, he was a scholastic sports columnist for the Brooklyn Eagle. He may be reached at: [email protected] X: @AndyFurmanFSR.
